Understanding The Relationship Between Excessive Sugar Intake And Sleeping Patterns

Who doesn’t love the sweet taste of a dessert right after dinner? Well, as it turns out, your sleep cycle! Maintaining a healthy diet is a significant aspect of ensuring quality sleep. Besides other ill effects of high sugar intake, there is mounting evidence that more sugar also directly results in a distorted, restless sleep. Here are some of the ways sugar can hamper the best possible sleep.

Decreased quality of sleep

Studies show that high sugar intake in the daily diet leads to less restorative sleep with more arousals. Many edibles that contain high sugar also contain caffeine, which directly lowers the body’s ability to relax and fall asleep faster. Experts agree that eating sugar late at night stimulates the body and gives the body excess energy that acts as an obstacle to sleep. It is also found that those who consume too much sugar also take longer to fall asleep. When they manage to fall asleep, their sleep is often restless and filled with disruptions. It is possible to better the quality of sleep by using good quality mattresses that can be bought online in Dubai, but this must be complemented with the proper diet to achieve the best possible result. 

Affects hunger and digestion

Junk foods that contain sugar can modify our brains and send our appetites into an overdrive. Complex hormones that our brains produce regulate our hunger and appetite. Consumption of sugar leads to heightened dopamine production, usually called the sugar rush, which interferes with our ability to relax. Dopamine is linked to pleasure and satisfaction, and the more sugar we consume, the less sensitive we become to this feeling of rush. This leads to increased hunger. When we eat sugar right before we go to sleep, the same response is triggered and acts as an obstacle to good sleep. Excessive sugar intake also causes changes to the gut’s microbial composition, thereby negatively affecting gut health. An unhealthy gut leads to inflammation and other issues like indigestion that will keep us from having a healthy sleep cycle.

Immune responses

A good night’s sleep is controlled by proper circadian rhythms, which also have a huge role in producing substances in our body that contribute to immunity. When these substances are produced in excess or incorrect amounts, we experience chronic inflammations that will severely deter healthy sleep. Sugar intake contributes to the formation of harmful biochemical compounds that increase the chances of inflammation. 

The Right Amount of Sugar

Cutting down on sugar will have a holistic impact on health, and in particular, it will contribute to a night of healthy and comfortable sleep. A low-sugar, high-fibre diet that focuses on whole and unprocessed food can be a great enabler of proper sleep. To counteract the fluctuating levels of sugar, small high-protein meals can be considered.

Besides the diet, the right environment and equipment also play an important part in determining the quality of sleep. A good orthopaedic mattress can provide the perfect support and comfort to the essential pressure points in the body and provides better relief against joint pains and inflammation.